The man tipped to be the next mayor of the DA-led Midvaal municipality admits he has big shoes to fill in replacing Bongani Baloyi.
Baloyi will bow out as mayor after the local government elections after eight years at the helm of what is arguably one of the country's best-run councils.
Peter Teixeira, Midvaal's mayoral committee member for community services, is expected to succeed Baloyi. He had nothing but praise for Baloyi this week, labelling him the best mayor in the world.
Baloyi announced early last year that he would not be running for mayor again. He was elected to the post in 2013 when he was 26, making him SA's youngest mayor.
"I don't have any [regrets]," he said this week of his time as mayor. "I did my best within the time that I had ... I learnt a lot. I have made a lot of mistakes, there are lots of failures, trying new things that didn't work, but I took them as learning opportunities and tried again."
WATCH | A tale of two Midvaals
He described his time at the municipality as a "great journey" that had prepared him for the future.
"It's been a very fulfilling journey, extremely challenging, which has afforded me the opportunity to learn a lot and to grow from being a young person to being a leader, and to being able to deal with very complex challenges of leadership and also to have a deep appreciation of governance," he said.
Baloyi was mum about his plan for the future, saying only it would be something in politics and public service because that is where his passion lies.
He said he had shied away from contesting for leadership positions in the DA nationally and provincially because he had not wanted to be distracted from his job.
Teixeira said of his boss: "I have been blessed to be part of his executive for the last five years. I have known him actually longer than that, during our times at school. We went to the same school as well. I have known him through all those years. So I have learnt a lot from mayor Baloyi."
Teixeira said he was not afraid of taking over from Baloyi, who led the municipality to six clean audits and praise from the ANC-run Gauteng and national governments.
"Obviously I have got big shoes to fill, but also the public needs to remember that to run a successful institution it's not only a one-man type of a show," he said.
"People must remember that there is an executive that sits behind Bongani, that makes things happen. Like I said, we have all learnt tremendously from him, he has given us excellent leadership and direction.
"But I don't believe it can only be one man, and I feel that there is an executive that works and [will do] the same for me once I am in power ... there is also a team that will be supporting me."
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